Jazz for aficionados

Part of the genius of Duke Ellington was the way his music was able to paint a picture or tell a story; not unlike the idea behind the “tone poems” of some of the great Classical composers. Very evocative music which demanded listening in a way that was different from that for the more visceral music of other jazz composers/leaders.

Great quote, Alex; pretty funny.

**** However prior to discovering this post I never would have called myself an "aficionado" anyway. ;^) ****

pryso, for some reason for me the word “aficionado” has always conjured up an image of Hugh Heffner smoking a pipe and wearing a silk robe while saying “Yeah, baby” 😎

Very interesting topic, “rediscovered” records. Oliver Nelson’s “BATAT” was the very first recording that I mentioned in my very first post on this thread. Wonderful and classic record. Great and very interesting choice of personnel on the record which was discussed a couple of times subsequently in the context of a discussion about arrangers. Nelson was, of course, one of the best. On that record’s title cut is quite possibly my favorite Freddie Hubbard solo on record; great example of thematic development in a solo and swinging like mad. However, I am not sure that this record would qualify for “rediscovered” as I think is what you mean and was certainly never forgotten by jazz fans in general. This record has consistently placed on “must have” lists pretty much since its release. In more direct answer to your question I think that the difference is that records like KOB and Time Out (to a lesser extent) were records that influenced the direction of jazz whereas BATAT, excellent as it was, was not a “milestone” recording. KOB and TO set a pretty high bar in that regard. Again, a very interesting topic worth exploring. Here’s my first nominee for classic “rediscovered” recording. This record created quite a stir when first released and seemed to be forgotten for a while and then got a lot of renewed attention over the last few years. One of my favorites:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IwOIVQVVhwg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQNsuzMXiQ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_vVHT-wSLik

So, a little more on my feelings about Ellington, not that any of you might or should care. ;^)

I'm not much of a fan of big band jazz in general.  By necessity too much must be charted out.  Yes there are solos within a number but the ensemble playing just seems to lose something in spontaneity for me.  A bit of big band jazz (Basie, Herman, Ellis, Evans, etc.) I can enjoy, but most others I can easily skip.  As I tried to say, that's just me, nothing negative about the Duke himself.

rok, "We are all entitled to our own opinion, just not our own facts."  I was not aware I was presenting anything as fact, just stating my own position.

alex, as it happens I'm a big fan of Groucho, and have been known to quote him myself.  So excuse me if I offer a slight correction to your quote, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

acman, I have posted a bit of Basie, but will add this, it is representative of the drive that draws me in -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc0nDETJlbY

frog, I guess my perspective on Nelson's "Blues And The Abstract Truth" was more in the sense of reduced popularity/general awareness, not that it was forgotten by the jazzbos.  It was released to acclaim, then was seldom heard or talked about (outside of the dedicated jazzbos) for some time.  Now with the reissued vinyl craze over the past 10+ years it became well known again.  So (shudder) maybe I'm only thinking of sales.

Other candidates for rediscovered albums I'll offer are Mingus' "Tijuana Moods, two or three Julie London records, and June Christy's "Something Cool".  Those were all records I heard practically nothing about for years and now with the reissued vinyl they are in demand again.  That is different from other jazz albums which continued sales on CDs in the intervening years.

“Corner Pocket”: Fabulous! One of my favorite Basie charts. Wasn’t aware of that record. Didn’t know Basie had recorded at The Sands except for the great record with Sinatra; a favorite. Wonderful drive as you say. That’s gotta be Lockjaw Davis on tenor. What a sound and I love his use of note inflections.  Quiz time! :

Can anyone name the tune that the trumpet player quotes at the very beginning of his solo? Hint: the tune was a big hit for (speaking of big bands) for a Cuban band leader from the 40s/50s whose last name sounds like the name of a famous fashion designer and whose first name is usually a last name 🤔